Everything has changed (One-Shot AU 7x7)
by letournesol0
Summary: AU One-Shot Season 7 Ep 7. What if things happened a little different that night ? "Time ticks by, and the past, once known so well, becomes a stranger"


SPOBY ONE-SHOT AU 7X07.

„You're awake!" are the first words I hear when I slowly open my eyes. I don't recognize this room. The walls are colored white and there's a window to my right along with dozen of machines which are steadily beeping. A hospital ? Why am I in a hospital ? I look to my left and there's my mother sitting, looking at me with a worried face.

"Honey! You're awake- I'm just gonna get a doctor" she says all rushed, as she jumps up opening the door and screaming for a doctor. I can't believe this. I don't remember what happened. How did I get here? Before I could think about it further, she comes back in the room with a doctor. He has a tall figure with brown short hair, looking like he is in his forties. He gives me a sincere smile.

"Hey I see you're awake. I'm Dr. Johnson. Do you know who and where you are?" he asks me.

"Spencer Hastings and by my surroundings I assume a hospital" I answer trying to sound as nice as possible. I just want to know what happened.

"Okay that's really good. Do you know how old you are Spencer?" he asks again. Ok this is getting ridiculous. I don't suffer from memory loss, at least I don't feel like I do.

"I'm 22." I respond seeing his eyes grow wide for a second.

"So what year do we have ?"

"2016"

The whole time my mum sits there totally frozen, saying nothing until the doctor demands to speak to her outside for a minute. I don't get what's going on. They step outside and I feel as clueless as ever. After what feels like hours they come back in and look at me more concerned than before. My mum sits on my bedside and gently approaches me.

"Spencer, honey don't freak out it's all going to be okay but –"

"Please just tell my what is going on?" I say getting more impatient and scared every second.

"It's June. June 2017. You've been in a coma for the last 6 months" She says looking at me waiting for a reaction, but I say nothing. 6 months? How? I suddenly feel totally lost that's when Dr. Johnson begins speaking.

"So you probably won't remember what happened to you, but you were put in a coma due to a brain haemorrhage. We had to perform surgery immediately and then put you into a medical induced coma. We didn't know when or if you would wake up again, but as long as you don't have any pain or other problems right now that's a really good sign, Spencer. Of course you still have to stay here a while before we can be sure everything is as it's supposed to, but you waking up and feeling okay is a little miracle." he affirms me. Okay I'm overwhelmed. I was basically dead for six whole months? I don't know what to say, as I feel the tears well up in my eyes. I just feel so helpless.

"Bu-ut wha-t hap-pene-d ?" I sob as my mum takes my hand as an attempt to calm me.

"Sweetie, that's not relevant right now the most important matter is that you get better." She tells me. Never in my life did I ever feel so out of control. 6 months just gone. What is everybody doing? Where are my friends? What happened to me? I have so many questions and don't know if I really want the answers.

"Okay for my part I'm finished for today. When something comes up just push the button –" he points to the red small button at the wall – "and a nurse will come right away. Good night Spencer. Mrs. Hastings." He breaks the silence and then gives us a last smile whilst leaving the room. As soon as we were alone the air felt thicker than before. There was so much tension in the air and I didn't know what to say. I mean what can I say? I don't know anything about the last months.

"Are you hungry? Or maybe thirsty? I could get you something." She speaks up.

"No thanks, I'm good." I give her a reassuring smile and when I was about to ask my first question the door opens and there come Emily and Alison storming in.

"Spencer, oh my god you're awake!" Emily exclaims as she hugs me. Ali gives me a hug too and my mum excuses herself from the room.

"How are you feeling? Do you have any pain?" Alison asks standing at the end of my hospital bed in a blue blouse. She looks older and more mature than I remember.

"No I don't really feel anything. Just really exhausted." I respond.

"Do you remember what happened?" This time it was Emily who asks.

"No I don't, but nobody wants to tell me. I mean you guys must know don't you? Could you tell me?" I am hoping someone finally tells me how I got here, but they share a knowing glance with each other and then look back at me.

"Let me guess you also won't tell me? Is it that bad?"

"Spence.."- Emily sits down where my mother sat before and takes my hand. I feel something metalic and look down. There's a ring on her hand. Holy Shit – She married someone?

"You got married?" I ask completely in shock.

"Umm- yes. We really would've loved nothing more than to have you at our wedding"-

"Wait what? You two got married? What? How-?" I couldn't believe this.

"Yeah um so it was more of an elopement actually. We just didn't want to waste anymore time so we had a quiet elopement." Alison speaks again, smiling.

"I´m sorry I didn't mean to freak out it's just so much to take in that I was in a coma for 6 months and so much has changed. I'm really happy for you two. Could you maybe tell me a little bit about your wedding and the last 6 months in general? What I missed?"

"Thanks Spence! Actually so many things happened I don't even know where to begin..."

And so she began to tell me all about the weddings which took place, the twins: Lily and Grace, that Jenna was behind A.D. and that she wanted revenge for Charlotte's death.

"..And then we told the police what happened and they arrested her for attempted murder." Emily finishes up her story when suddenly the sound of a phone ringing fills the room. Emily gets her phone out of her jeans and when she looks at the screen her whole attitude changes.

"I really have to take this. I'll just go outside really quick" and with that she gets up and leaves the room. I give Alison a questioning look.

"Why did she get so nervous suddenly?"

"I don't really know "- I give her a look again saying 'you can't fool me.' Of course she knows.

"I may be a little bit limited right now but I can tell when you are lying, Ali." I remind her. She looks at the ground for a second, thinking, and then moves to sit on the chair on my right.

"Look um- like Em told you Aria and Hanna both moved away from Rosewood so when you woke up your mother called us because we're the only ones who still live here except for"- but before she could finish her sentence Emily comes back in.

"Spence somebody is here to see you." She says and then steps aside. I look at the door in shock.

"Toby?" he looks different. He has a beard now and dark circles under his eyes. He looks drained.

"Spence!" he exclaims sounding relieved. He gives me a smile and then scrambles over to me embracing me in a tight hug. I instantly feel warmer. When he pulls back he sits down and I notice that Emily and Alison left the room.

"Spencer I-" he stops midsentence just studying me in disbelief. The atmosphere was tense.

"Did you come all the way from Maine just because of me?" I question, feeling guilty. I notice how he stiffens for a few seconds, looking at the ground and when he looks up again he seems uncomfortable.

"No I didn't. I actually moved back here five months ago." He answers looking at me. Why would he move back? The last thing I remember is him telling me he wants to move to Maine with Yvonne to start a family.

"Things just didn't work out as they were supposed to. I guess life came in the way." He tells me but I know there was more to the story, however a few seconds later my mum comes back in the room.

"Toby" she greets him.

"Hello Veronica. I guess I'm going to go now." He turns around to me again " I'll come back tomorrow. Good night Spence, Veronica." He says leaving the room. Why did this feel so awkward?

"I didn't know Toby was here too?" she says more as a question.

"I didn't know either, Em got a phone call and suddenly he came trough the door." I explain. She looks at me with a troubled look.

"What is it? Why is everybody in such a strange mood when they talk about Toby? Can you please tell me what is taking place here because I feel like you all know something and all try to not tell me" I hiss, feeling disappointed.

"Spencer look um there's no good way to say this, but Toby is part of the reason why you're here." What? I don't get anything anymore.

"What are you talking about?"

"Toby told us that the night of your accident he was at the barn talking to you about something. He didn't want to specify, but he said it got you both upset. He told us that after he left and got in his truck he saw you running out of he barn in his direction-" she stops inhaling a sharp breath, trying to hold back the tears –" your face was tear-stained and suddenly there was this car- it drove way too fast. It hit you in front of his eyes. You screamed his name and then you got hit. You had a few broken bones and you were bleeding, but the worst part was that you were unconscious so he ran over to you holding you in his arms just trying to resuscitate you over and over again –" by now we were both sobbing –"when he finally succeeded he immediately called an ambulance. He saved your life and when they arrived he held you in his arms just whispering over and over again _"Don't die on me please. I love you, please"_ The ambulance then took you both to the hospital and when your Dad and I arrived he sat in the waiting room, with blood all over his clothes, sobbing uncontrollably in Emily's arms. The first week he was here everyday, just sitting here holding your hand, but then he was gone suddenly. For 3 weeks nobody heard or saw anything from him. After that he was back here again day and night. Nobody could get him away from here. He didn't attend one of your friend's weddings, as he was just sitting her telling you stories about some Scrabble games and blue anchor shirts. Then today where you woke up he was on his way to the barn, because he wanted to get some book with French poems and read it to you, but then you woke up and here we are. Every time the doctors said it looked bad he was the one who never gave up hope. He always told us he knew you wouldn't leave. I don't know what happened with Yvonne or if anything happened but he spent all of his time here so I assumed they'd broken up, but he never talked about anything besides you. I knew your father and me had our prejudices against that boy but I never saw anybody love another person so much." I all of a sudden couldn't breathe anymore. I was consumed in sobbing while my mother holds me in her arms. I couldn't comprehend all of this. It was too much for me. We didn't speak a word after, as a result of crying so much I fell asleep a little while later.

The next day I woke up when the nurse comes in to bring me my meds at 9. I find a note on my bedside table which said:

 **I went home at 8 but Toby and Emily promised they would come today so you wouldn't be alone.**

 **Love you, Mum**

I don't know if I'm ready to confront Toby yet, after what she told me yesterday. I'm overwhelmed by my own feelings every time I think about what he did for me. I know that I love him I always have and always will but I also am scared. I don't even know his side yet and the last time we didn't want the same for the future so maybe he still doesn't want a future with me ? Ugh my head begins to hurt. I lay back and close my eyes again.

The next time I wake up is when I hear a knock.

"Come in." I say and see Toby opening the door. Abruptly I'm wide awake and my heart begins to race.

"Hey. I brought you a little something." He says showing me flowers from behind his back.

"These are my favorites!" I exclaim smiling.

"I know that's the reason _why_ I got them for you." He answers smiling shyly. After he put the flowers on the table, he sits down in the chair next to my bed and the first minute we both are silent until all of a sudden he begins talking:

"I couldn't do it. I thought I could but I couldn't" were the only words he said.

"What do you mean?" I ask softly.

"Marry her. She was so understanding of everything she even offered me to choose another wedding date so that I could be there for you but I denied and said it would be fine.-" he says taking his eyes off the ground –" The first week after that car hit you I-I was here everyday. It haunted me. Every time I closed my eyes I heard your piercing scream and saw you on the ground dead. So I thought if I would get a little distance it would help, however the second I left this room I left my heart here too. Then at the wedding day I believed I could do it –" he sighs –" until I stood there seeing her walk down the aisle. It felt wrong and I felt like I just wanted to run away and be with you, but I cared about her and in a way I loved her. I wasn't in love with her but I cared about her, still there was no getting out so when I was supposed to say 'I do' I instead said "I can't marry you. I'm so sorry." How could I even consider doing this when you where fighting death ? You were supposed to be my bride not in a hospital fighting. I came back and since then I never left your side for longer than an hour." He finishes now looking in my eyes. My heart was beating out of my chest – how did I deserve somebody like this?

"I never said 'thank you'. You saved my life, Tobes. I can't describe how thankful I am." I remark softly smiling at him.

"I know this may be too much, but can I just hold you?" he asks shyly, his eyes full of love and hope.

"I would like that." I say carefully making space for him on the hospital bed. As he climbs in I smell the familiar cologne and when I feel his arms around me, I feel more at home than I ever felt in the last 3 years. I know we had much to talk about, but I also know that we would never stop holding each other again, ever.


End file.
